[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by chetan

Could you recommend any other loudspeakers besides the ones that I've mentioned ? I feel the 3030i are a bit expensive compared to its competition, so Im thinking to save some money here or use it on better loudspeakers or a Sub.

What is the competition and how do they sound, stack up to the 3030i?

If you have heard a good speaker and you like them, I'd buy them. This in itself will be a massive step up in sound quality over your existing setup.

Other loudspeaker options are KEF, Polk Audio, PSB and B&W. These are the ones I am familiar with. There are a lot more options out there though.

[tbppjpr]

Originally Posted by chetan

I feel the 3030i are a bit expensive compared to its competition, so Im thinking to save some money here or use it on better loudspeakers or a Sub.

The Q acoustics are fuss free neutral sounding speakers and haven't changed the design in last one decade. They are such speakers that they easily mix-up in any kid of setup, be it music or movies or anything else. Thats why they are so popular amongst the installers and enjoy the premium pricing due to the lack of competition.

A series of Boston Acoustics were very good alternative to them at very low cost when they were available. But unfortunately their holding company D&M has killed the brand, maybe they found more profits in their other holding Polk Audio. D&M now even holds the Denon and Marantz, two major competitor brands in the AVR world.

I would suggest to audition the Dali, they are not neutral but have distinguished note in the highs which kind of sounds sweet to some ears, especially during the music listening. Also consider the Indian brand Sonodyne with open mind.

[chetan]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

What is the competition and how do they sound, stack up to the 3030i?

If you have heard a good speaker and you like them, I'd buy them. This in itself will be a massive step up in sound quality over your existing setup.

Other loudspeaker options are KEF, Polk Audio, PSB and B&W. These are the ones I am familiar with. There are a lot more options out there though.

Competition I would say Many! and I do not know how they stack up to the 3030i, hence I wanted to audition the QX2 and Elac debut 2.0 but some dealers refuse to give a demo unless I agree to buy them immediately after audition. But the price difference b/w QA and mission is quite a bit.

How do Kef and PSB stack up to the 3030i in your opinion ?

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by chetan

How do Kef and PSB stack up to the 3030i in your opinion ?

I would not give business to dealers who treat customers like this. You need to look elsewhere. What if you listen to the speaker and you don't like them, are you still required to buy the speaker? Thats a ridiculous comment by the dealer.

Like I said earlier, I have no personal experience of the specific Q Acoustics model you have heard nor can I say how they stack up against the KEF and PSB. Generally speaking, KEF's and PSB's sit a notch above brands like Mission at the lower end of the model line up.

I can vouch for KEF and PSB as I've owned both.

[keroo1099]

Originally Posted by chetan

How do Kef and PSB stack up to the 3030i in your opinion ?

I haven't heard the KEFs or the PSBs but have the 3020i at home. It's not the most revealing speaker, but whatever it does do it does well enough that I don't mind the stuff I'm missing. It's unfussy about setup an placement, but it does help to isolate on spike or a good stand. I liked them better than the Wharfdale Diamonds I heard and I think one of the Dali speakers. A friend has a set of baby Harbeth's playing through a valve amp and yeah the Harbeth's do everything better but the 3020i don't get shamed.

All in all very pleased with the small Qacoustics for the price I paid, and I only listen to 2 channel music. I can tell you it doesn't sound half bad playing Spotify premium (MP3s). It's not a critical listening speaker, but has decent soundstage and imaging and has a 'big' sound for its size.

At the end of the day it's your ears that will decide the sound you like so try and hear as many speakers as possible and just use reviews/reccomendations as a guide.

Good luck.

[kotirajendra]

Originally Posted by chetan

Could you recommend any other loudspeakers besides the ones that I've mentioned ? I feel the 3030i are a bit expensive compared to its competition, so Im thinking to save some money here or use it on better loudspeakers or a Sub.

The right way is to audition the speakers with your amp. Standalone recommendations for speakers dont give much information. There are some well known combinations that many have used and reviewed. In such cases you dont have to look further. For e.g: NAD + PSB, Marantz or Denon + Wharfdale Diamond. There are many forums where such pairings are widely discussed and reviewed.

Also there is an Indian company called Norge Audio who have a reputation for excellent (Made In India) speakers. Pricing is cost effective. You might want to check them out too.

[1:1]

Originally Posted by chetan

My budget in 1-1.3L may be 1.5L, If I get a good deal, I would like to get a Sub as well

so, my current setup is an old Onkyo HT-R340, SKF340F 5.1. I am looking to upgrade only R,L and C, AVR; upgrade the surrounds later on

Mostly - 70/30, movies/music.

I auditioned the Q ACOUSTICS: 3030i and 3090i and really liked them but I would like to explore other options.

How are the following compared to the QA ?
1. MISSION: QX 2 MKII and QX C MKII
2. Elac debut 2.0 B6.2 and Debut 2.0 B6.2 Centre

I own Debute F5 and C5. Selected them after demoing almost all brands which were available back in 2017 (PSB, Polk, Wharfedale etc). To my ears if i compare Elacs to very expensive brands like KEF and Focal there are as good as 60-70% for music and about 90-95% for Movies. Just that they need a good amp to power them.
I would say dont cheap out on the amp, this comes from personal experience. I started out with Yamaha RXv483 which was about 80W per channel for 2 channel. It sounded good but you could feel it can use bit more power. I upgraded to Denon X4500H with 140W per channel and the upgrade was worth it. It sounds way more dynamic and crisp vs Yamaha. Also give a try for Wharfedale speakers. They also pack a good punch for the size and price.

[n_aditya]

A few months ago, while on a Sunday errand, I wandered into the Samsung Experience centre (opera house showroom on Brigade Road).

I sampled the JBL Bar 1000 which I really liked. The setup was inside a glass cabin and although that isn't the best material for walls, the sound output and quality sounded very good (for movies).

I read up online that these satellite speakers (wireless) tend to eat up charge very quickly and the batteries need replacement in 2 yrs time as well.

It was retailing for a little over 1.0 lac post discount.

I turned to a friend who referred me to a person that deals in home threatre units and he recommended the following:

1. Denon AVR x550BT (5.1 setup)
2. Speakers from Jamo - front floor standing units and rear bookshelf (wall mounted) units
3. Amazon Fire Stick (using chromecast now as my TV has no smart features)

He also provided JBL and Taga Harmony as options for speakers.

Quoted 1.2L for the entire setup, wiring, installation, etc.

Is this a reasonable price? Any other options I should consider? I will use the HT mostly for movies but will also use it for listening to music (80s rock and metal).

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

Is this a reasonable price? Any other options I should consider? I will use the HT mostly for movies but will also use it for listening to music (80s rock and metal).

Can you break it down or share a split of the cost of the speakers and amplifier?

I wouldn't bother with Taga. Stick to the Jamo or JBL, whichever sounds better.

For the Jamo's you were quoted, its just 4 speakers? No center or sub woofer? Can you share the model number?

Going the speaker, amplifier way is definitely a better option than a sound bar. Make sure you have room for this equipment.

[n_aditya]

Thank you for the reply, Sandeep. Much appreciated.

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

Going the speaker, amplifier way is definitely a better option than a sound bar. Make sure you have room for this equipment.

I had a Sony 5.1 HT which I had bought back in 2005 and it served me very well until I had to give it away as it had no USB, HDMI ports. Now I want to get separate units as it is easy to upgrade as needed down the line. But with so many options, I am completely lost.

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

Can you break it down or share a split of the cost of the speakers and amplifier?

For the Jamo's you were quoted, its just 4 speakers? No center or sub woofer? Can you share the model number?

I'm yet to receive a quote from the gent.

Speaker setup is 5.1.

Speaker options he has provided with the JBL Subwoofer:

1. Jamo S807 5.0
2. JBL A170 5.0
3. Taga Harmony 607 - will skip this as suggested.

I already have a JBL soundbar and the sound quality is very good for its size. This will be retained and used when the HT is not being used.

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

I wouldn't bother with Taga. Stick to the Jamo or JBL, whichever sounds better.

Any idea where I can go and listen to the Jamo and JBL units? The person I am communicating with does this as a hobby and passion and does not have a shop. He said I can check prices online and he will get a lower rate than that and of course with bill and warranty (post warranty service support as well).

[n_aditya]

Was checking for reviews online between the JBL Stage A170 and Jamo S 807 and stumbled upon this site - https://www.crutchfield.com/S-vDRgRT...amo-S-807.html

They have a cool feature where you can compare the sound using different music tracks. I didn't have any of the headphone models they have listed so went with the Bose Noise Canceling option and used my Jaybird Vista earbuds to sample the sound.

Liked the JBL better as I felt it had better depth and range (not sure if this is the right terminology as I am a noob in this aspect) although the bass was rich and powerful on both JBL and Jamo.

[9tMax]

My KEF C4 subwoofer died a couple of weeks back after keeping me perfectly happy for more than 12 years. Now I need to get a replacement. Any suggestions for shortlisting a few models ?
When I purchased it in 2011, I finalized the model after lot of online research and auditioning. I even drove down to Bangalore for auditioning more brands
But now I just don't get that much free time to go around for auditioning. So any help would be highly appreciated.
Should I go back to the KEF Kube series?
How does Klipsch subs compare to the KEFs?
Would like to wrap up the purchase in around 50K but can go up a bit if the performance is really impressive.
Wont mind going back to Bangalore again for a good auditioning experience, if you can suggest a good showroom with a good collection of brands.

PS: Tried getting the sub repaired through the KEF authorized service centre, but they are telling it may cost 6-7k. So what to do with the dead box now?

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Don't know about your city, but here in Kochi, there still are people around shops selling electronic components where they fix burnt coils of speakers. Prices certainly are high. If you like sound of the existing sub, this is the preferred way.

[satnan]

Our humble budget home theater:


Room Size: 14' x 11'
Projector: XGIMI Elfin (1080P)
Sound: Samsung Q990B Soundbar

Walls (except the screen area) painted with : https://www.asianpaints.com/catalogu...rbon-copy.html

Did not purchase a screen, rather went with a screen coating paint directly on the wall (https://www.amazon.in/Silk-Touch-01-.../dp/B01FM4W218)


Got the projector for a good price from US (a fried returning from the US helped). Overall expense <2 lakhs inclusive of projector, sound bar, AC, recliners, painting, cables and other misc items.

Overall happy with the setup. I know a traditional wired setup would sound better, but I consider it as a reasonable compromise considering the price difference.


Note: Elfin does not support Netflix. Using a Fire TV stick to overcome this. Other than this, the projector performs flawlessly (I have a reasonably dark room and the 800 ANSI Lumens is good enough).


Could have been better / still working on:
1. A slightly bigger room would have been better, but have to manage with what we have
2. There is still a bit of echo which I am trying to find some DIY solutions (It was bad initially and manageable now, but still not perfect).

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by 9tMax

PS: Tried getting the sub repaired through the KEF authorized service centre, but they are telling it may cost 6-7k. So what to do with the dead box now?

That sounds okay. I'd fix it versus spending Rs. 50,000 on some budget grade sub woofer thats unlikely to sound anywhere near as good as your KEF. Sub woofer tech has not changed a whole lot from your old KEF. If you are happy with the performance, I'd stay with it. Ensure you get some kind of repair warranty. Ask them if they are changing the entire amplifier or fixing it at a individual component level. Might as well renew the caps (or capacitors) while they are at it.

Originally Posted by n_aditya

Any idea where I can go and listen to the Jamo and JBL units?

Happy to help.

Cinebels for Jamo. I don't know for JBL.

You can't go wrong with the JBL or Jamo. Both models are good.